The Hoodlum and the Chef
by Melethril
Summary: NO romance or even friendship; Just a silly, little one-shot about two people who get to know each other a little better despite their difference in character


_Note_: Second Season; Spring somewhere between the picnic and the car accident

Just a crazy little one-shot. Tell me what you think, anyway.

**The Hoodlum and the Chef**

Sookie wasn't the type to walk around alone. She usually was accompanied by friends or her soon-to-be-husband Jackson. Today however, she was alone because Lorelai and Rory were gone for the weekend (It had to have something to do with Emily for Lorelai had been complaining about this ever since she got the phone call on Wednesday) and Jackson was having problems with his zucchinis therefore unable to accompany her.

However, the weather was too beautiful not to go outside and therefore she'd decided to stroll around on her own.

She loved spring, it was so peaceful and yet full of life. Everything started to grow and it caused her to dream. (Then, there was also the fact that spring always inspired her cooking. Her best ideas she always had during this season).

She walked across the streets of Stars Hollow for several minutes before she felt the weight of doing it alone. Sookie was a happy person who loved people's company, the only thing she liked doing alone was cooking. For some time she looked around in order to see people she knew and could talk to. Unfortunately, those citizens she knew were couples who had decided to spend this beautiful Saturday outside (but who most definitely wouldn't appreciate a third party) and then there were Babette and Miss Patty discussing the latest gossip. For a moment she thought about accompanying them, but decided against it for she really wanted to take a walk.

The only person alone was Kirk and though she couldn't help but like him, she really couldn't think about spending more than a few minutes alone with him. He was just a bit weird albeit in a good way.

For a moment she thought about going to Luke's just to have some company, but then she would have to step inside of a building and she had no desire to do that.

Instead she walked towards the park. There were young married couples and high school sweethearts everywhere causing her to miss Jackson even more acutely despite the fact she'd just seen him an hour ago.

Sookie didn't want to be around all those happy pairs and therefore took another path that would lead away from it. She just walked around a bend when she spotted that beautiful little lake which was probably the most wonderful place in Stars Hollow.

She walked towards it, but stopped when she noticed a figure on that small bridge which led across the lake.

She squinted and recognized Luke's nephew Jess reading a book. She doubted she'd ever seen that teenager without carrying a book. It was a little surprising for that trademark of his was the only thing which didn't go straight along with the rebellious air that surrounded him. Sookie watched him a little wondering if the reading would cause Jess' features to soften slightly.

But her hopes were in vain for Luke's nephew seemed to have sensed her presence. He looked up and though she stood in an angle to him that would make his head turn towards her, he spotted her within the blink of an eye.

She lifted her hands and waved a little hesitantly, but she got no reaction from Jess unless he had nodded almost imperceptibly which was something she would not have been able to recognize in the distance.

A little unsure what to do she looked over to him. Sookie really didn't want to go back to the happy couples, but she couldn't really think of anything she could talk about with the kid. Jess seemed to have noticed her hesitance for he laid away his book and crossed his legs that had been tangling from the bridge before she'd arrived. It looked almost as if he was okay with her coming closer.

She stepped onto the bridge and lifted her hand once again shyly.

_The kid's half your age for heaven's sake! No need to be afraid of him. _

Sookie held Lorelai's opinion in high esteem and her best friend didn't trust Jess at all. Therefore she couldn't help but be a little suspicious.

"Hi," she said mentally hitting herself for the lame beginning.

"Hey," he said, his eyes displayed mocking amusement. He didn't offer anything else.

"It's a nice place here." _Way to go, Sookie! You have moved on from a stupid greeting to stating the obvious._

Jess didn't bother to reply, of course. He wasn't much into small-talk; that much she knew. In fact, hadn't Rory mentioned something every once in a while, Sookie wouldn't have believed him to be capable of saying something above a monosyllable.

"It's a rare thing to see you alone," Jess' statement had a lot more foundation than hers. _And he just proved that he's capable of using his mouth._

"It's a rare thing for me to be alone," she hadn't meant to sound whining, but she couldn't help the sad tone in her voice.

"I don't mind having company," Jess said gesturing next to him. Just when she wanted to tell him that she didn't want to bother him, Jess handed over his book and took another one out of his back pocket.

Out of reflex she took the book, but didn't look at it for she could simply stare at Jess.

"Why are you carrying two books along?" It was the only question that had gone through her mind and she actually dared to voice aloud.

"Knew, I'd finish this one soon," he answered pointing towards the one in her hands, shrugging his shoulders. "I took along another one, so I didn't have to go twice past the over-the-top-happy and sickeningly mushy couples who are undoubtedly walking across the meadow on the other side of these trees.

She voiced something that sounded like "aha" and finally looked at the cover.

"_Pride and Prejudice,_" she read, her eyes widened and she looked at Jess as if she truly saw him for the first time, "you've read Jane Austen." The surprise in her voice was impossible to overhear.

"Why should I not? She was a good writer, some of her work I've read several times, this one's one of them." His tone was hard to place and it took her a moment to realize that his voice simply lacked the sarcasm.

"But," she stuttered a bit, "You… You are a guy!"

This caused the rebellious teenager to chuckle and the transformation happening with him by doing that was enormous: His features softened and there was a spark in his brown eyes she'd never noticed before. He sobered quickly and obviously was a little surprised himself over the emotional outburst for only moments later, his eyes lost that spark again and his face closed off.

Still, when he spoke, the amused tone hadn't disappeared quite yet: "That's a tad discriminating, don't you think? It's got a back and a front cover with pages in between, that's enough for me to give it a shot. There are very few books I've never managed to finish, _The Fountainhead_ being one of them."

"I've heard of that one somewhere," Sookie said furrowing her eyebrows. At the same time she marvelled the kid's liveliness when talking about something he was interested in."

"It's a book by Ayn Rand," he said. Then his features softened noticeably, "It's one of Rory's favourites, so you probably got the information from her. She forced me to read it and it's just painful following that woman's writing. I prefer Austen over that."

Rory had managed to force Jess into doing anything? That was almost unheard of. She decided not to comment it and said instead: "Before you came here to Stars Hollow, I was always convinced that Rory is the only person on this planet reading so much."

A tiny smile became visible on the corners of his lips. It seemed as if Jess truly appreciated Rory. He didn't say anything, though.

Instead, he picked up his second book _A Farewell to Arms _by Ernest Hemmingway and started to read.

"How many times have you read that?"

"A few," he curtly answered not looking up from his lecture. Judging by the curled pages he must have read it more than 'a few' times since the book she held in her hands had – accordingly to him – been read several times and it looked as if it had never been touched. When she opened it however, she saw that there were small notes minutely written in between and next to the margins and judging by the pens and pencils that had been used, the book must have been read multiple times nurturing different thoughts every time he'd read it anew. His writing was neat, much neater than hers or – heaven forbid – Lorelai's who wasn't even able to decipher her own handwriting when she was in a hurry. She noticed that the first time he'd written in between the margins had to be the notes written with a pen because the writing was slightly larger and less sophisticated then the notes written with a pencil.

"Just ignore the notes," Jess said without looking up, "It's nothing."

But Sookie had no intention to ignore it. Instead of reading the book – she'd seen the movies but had to admit she'd never managed to finish the book – she read the notes in the margins.

The very first sentence was already commented by the notes written with a pen:

_What about the guys without any money? Don't they deserve a wife?_

It gave her a little jolt. She didn't know much about Jess' past, but by what she'd heard from rumours, his mother couldn't exactly be called as a woman of good fortune.

His judgment over Mrs Bennet was written only about ten sentences later, again written with a pen:

_It's a__ only book and I am able to hear her hysteric high-pitched tone. Her husband must have patience beyond anything else._

Completely engrossed she continued reading the notes. At one point she simply started skim through the pages to find the good notes. Those written with a pencil were much more insightful drawing parallels to the world of today and were much more perceptive but also quite a bit more cynical than what he had written in earlier years.

She quickly noticed that he must have read the book for the first time when writing in the margins with then pen.

When Mr Collins' letter came up, she read:

_Ouch. The man is painfully oblivious to his lack of intelligence and he's an insufferable conceit as well as a suck-up. He obviously wants to marry one of the 'amiable daughters'__._

"How old were you when you read this for the first time?"

"Ten." Well, the citizens of Stars Hollow could say whatever they wanted about the troublemaker, he surly wasn't stupid.

She then quickly skimmed the pages to see what the young Jess wrote about the encounter between Elizabeth and Mr Darcy when he proposed to her.

However, Jess must have been engrossed to the pages since she found no note written with a pen. There was something written with a pencil, though:

_No m__atter how many times I read this, it's still as painful as it was the first time. He normally doesn't carry his heart on his sleeve. He then dares to present it to her and she cuts it into pieces. He will not have slept the following night._

She flipped the pages and immediately looked at what he wrote at the end of the letter Mr Darcy had sent:

_Why?_

That was all it said and it was so unsatisfying, Sookie nearly sighed. Why what? Why approaching her once again? Why being generous? Why being so open?

She wanted to discuss it. For the first time in her life she wanted to have a discussion about a book.

She decided to say the one thing that always bothered her with Jane Austen's writing.

"Do you know why I feel sorry for those women? Apart from their general position in society back then, of course."

Jess didn't even seem to be forced to think about the answer: "They don't cook. It's deemed beneath them."

Sookie looked at him in awe: "How do you…?"

"What reading is for me, is cooking for you. Actually even more than that, you made a career out of your passion. That's admirable. Of course you pity anybody who isn't supposed to cook."

Jess was an observer, she realized. He watched Stars Hollow, probably had more insight into specific citizens than they had themselves because he was completely detached from it. Therefore he mercilessly judged them all for who they are and what they were doing.

"Let's play a game," she said, suddenly having an idea. Jess only looked at her sceptically, his eyebrows were raised. The only thing that didn't come was his characteristic '_Huh?'_.

"I will give you the name of a Stars Hollow citizen and you will describe them with one or two words."

"How many times am I allowed to use the words 'nuts', 'crazy', 'lunatic' or 'moron'?" Well, he at least he hadn't said no. Actually, he seemed intrigued.

"I am sure you'll find a way." She then thought of the first person without being too personal.

"Kirk."

"Annoying."

"Jess!"

"Smart hoodlum?"

This caused her to laugh. He didn't smile, but there was an amused glimmer in his eyes.

"Okay, I got it," Sookie said, then used another name, "Miss Patty."

"Grapevine." These words were carefully used. He obviously had several words to describe Miss Patty. Like any guy his age, he seemed to be a little afraid of her.

"Babette."

Jess only lifted his eyebrows that clearly said _Grapevine the Second_, but he did decide to say something else: "Hideously sweet."

She scolded at him, but she couldn't say he was wrong.

"Taylor."

"_1984 plus To Kill a Mockingbird_."

She looked at him confused: "I'm sorry?"

"I always think of these two books when I hear anything about him," he truly disliked Taylor. His tone indicated it, "_1984_ by George Orwell and its most famous sentence _Big Brother is Watching You_ combined with those crazy town meetings, that's how I image Taylor."

"Andrew."

"Bookstore."

"Jess!"

"Again?"

She shook her head. Outsmarting that kid was difficult, that was the one thing she knew with certainty.

"Mrs Kim."

"Scary."

That she could only reply with a nod. Mrs Kim scared everybody.

"Jackson." She truly wondered what he thought of her future husband.

"Lemon." At that she looked at him completely taken aback: "I'm sorry?"

"That evening, when I was invited at the Gilmore house… You were talking about lemons all the time and the first thing he did was offering me one. You completely took me aback."

"We were rambling, weren't we," she said apologetically. What if it was her and Jackson's fault he left so early? Did they scare him off?

"I would've gone anyway. It wasn't my place to be." _Okay, kid. Can you read my mind? What number am I thinking of? 34…34…34…_

"I am not capable of reading your mind," Jess said simply, "People's expressions give them away.

_You read my mind!_

"I swear I did not."

"Did too! Again, actually." Her eyes widened a little.

Jess sighed: "No, look. You looked a little down after I explained the lemon reference. You looked guilty, so I took an educated guess. Afterwards you were so astonished, it didn't take a genius to figure out what you thought."

"Sookie," she said promptly.

"That would be you," he said flatly instantly back in the game.

"Please."

"Alright: Sophie."

"Now I am confused."

"A neighbour of mine's just like you: very positive about life and good-humoured. The fact you remind me of her is probably the only reason I am actually talking to you."

She had no idea what to reply to that. His facial expression was guarded, but she could swear he looked slightly more vulnerable than usual.

"Lane."

"Rebel." _What would you call yourself, then? _She raised her eyebrows a little.

"She is," he shrugged. "Much more so than I am, actually. You need rules to break… Never mind." The emotional walls were up within seconds. He'd obviously said too much.

"Luke."

"Uncle." Sookie simply rolled her eyes, but she was quite sure that they were much closer than Jess indicated at this point.

"Lorelai."

"Quick-witted; harsh judge." There was a tad of bitterness stealing its way into his casual tone.

"She's a good person, Jess," Sookie didn't quite know why she wanted to defend her friend since what he'd said wasn't too negative. Still, she felt the need to do it.

"I know," he simply answered.

"Gypsy."

"Perceptive." That was an interesting thing to say. She'd have expected other things like sarcastic, snarky, but Jess had chosen something else."

"Rory." She had him where she'd wanted him from the beginning. Would he walk out now, it would be clear that he cared about her. Unfortunately, her devilish plan didn't work out for he simply smirked having obviously known her intentions from the beginning.

"Town Princess," it was said neutrally except for some teasing air mixed within. It told her absolutely nothing since Rory indeed was the town princess.

Jess wordlessly focused his attention back on the book, obviously having noticed that the interrogation was over.

A little disappointed she picked up her copy as well, but her mobile phone rang.

"Hello?"

"_Zucchini, you've got to come by for the Sookies." _At that the 'Zucchini' had to suppress a laugh.

"I'm on my way, honey. Bye." She switched off her phone and handed Jess the book. He took it impassively.

"Well, that was Jackson," his eyebrows rose indicating that her comment had just been rhetorical, "Well," she smiled unsurely and swung her arms a little, "thank you for accepting my company."

"There's worse," he simply retorted. He inclined his head a little to say goodbye and Sookie left. Shortly before leaving the bridge she turned around:

"Have a nice day, Jess."

Jess didn't say anything, nodded once again and focused back on his book. By the time she turned around, he seemed to be engrossed once again.

Sookie hadn't imaged him like this. He wasn't the typical hoodlum. Compared to the hoodlums in the world, he was the odd one out.

Maybe that was why he fit so perfectly into that crazy little town called Stars Hollow despite the fact nobody would ever admit to this: neither the town nor the hoodlum.


End file.
